The New York Giants' (2-1) blowout of the 1-2 Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football showed that the G-Men are still a force to be reckoned with in the NFC.

With a slew of injuries striking New York, a few backups led the way for the Giants, as they man-handled the Panthers 36-7 on the road to earn their second consecutive win.

There were a handful of men responsible for Thursday's win, but none more than these five players for the Giants:

Ramses Barden

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Giants fans have been considering wide receiver Ramses Barden to be a bust for the past three seasons, but all is forgotten after his Thursday night performance.

Stepping in for the injured Hakeem Nicks, Barden shredded the Panthers D for nine receptions and 138 yards, consistently making plays over the middle for the Giants.

Barden's routes were clean and his cuts sharp, as he cemented himself as the Giants' No. 3 WR on the depth chart.

His 6'6" frame makes him an easy red-zone target for QB Eli Manning, so you can expect him to impact the Giants' offense going forward.

Andre Brown

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Like Barden, running back Andre Brown stepped in for a key member of the Giants' offense (Ahmad Bradshaw) and made the most of his chance.

Just a few days after he rushed for 71 yards and a TD after taking over for the injured Bradshaw, Brown exploded for 113 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.7 YPC and adding three receptions out of the backfield.

Carolina had no answer for Brown, who had plenty of yards after contact and was the key for the Giants in their Thursday night blowout.

New York just found its back-up running back, and his name isn't David Wilson.

Eli Manning

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The man who orchestrated the Giants' Week 2 comeback against the Bucs was sharp against Carolina, thanks in large part to his offensive line.

Manning had all day to throw and connected with seven different receivers to go 27-of-35 for 288 yards and a touchdown.

He was moving around in the pocket well, allowing time for his receivers to get open downfield, and he was sacked just one time.

Manning consistently came up big for the Giants in third-down situations.

No one should be questioning whether Eli Manning is elite anymore.

Michael Boley

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Michael Boley made a crucial interception for New York on Thursday night and now has an INT in all three games this season.

Not only was his pass defense on point, but he was in on six tackles and split a sack of Cam Newton with teammate Jason Pierre-Paul.

For most of the night, Boley was responsible for spotlighting Newton and he did an exceptional job, allowing Newton just six rushing yards on the night.

Aside from Pierre-Paul, Boley has been the most important defender for New York in 2012.

Martellus Bennett

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Eli Manning loves his tight ends and it's no different with Martellus Bennett.

Bennett, who now has a touchdown reception in each of the Giants' first three games, hauled in six catches for 73 yards and was a big third-down converter for Manning and the Giants' offense.

Not only was he effective in the passing game, but Bennett was responsible for opening up a lot of holes and sealing the edge for running back Andre Brown, who had a career night.

The Black Unicorn is showing the New York coaching staff that he can do it all, something he was never allowed the chance to show in Dallas.